Ed Gein, the infamous murderer and necrophile, whose crimes inspired Psycho and other major horror movies, will have his story told at MGM+. It's been announced that the streamer has picked up the four-episode docuseries Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein with plans to have it premiere in September. The doc is directed and executive produced by James Buddy Day (Blumhouse's Compendium of Horror, Fall River). Jill Latiano Howerton and Josh Kunau are also executive producing for Roots Productions.
"This gripping and disturbing docuseries shines a light on an infamous chapter in our true-crime history,” MGM+ head Michael Wright said in a statement. “Psycho takes an in-depth look at not only the life of one of the most notorious serial killers of our time, but also explores the impact his crimes had on both the victims and our culture.”
An official description of Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein is as follows:
For years, filmmakers, journalists, and scholars have tried to unravel the mind of this notorious killer, and with new reveals and never-before-heard recordings, viewers will be transported to late-1950s Middle America and submerged in Gein’s perverse mind. The series explores Gein’s upbringing and twisted relationship with his mother (which famously inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho), his early grave robbing, the murders leading up to his arrest, and the police’s discovery of his terrifying house of horrors—all accompanied by the brand-new revelations revealed in the recordings.
Ed Gein's Creepy Story Will Be Explored at MGM+
Gein has been nicknamed "The Plainfield Ghoul" and "The Mad Butcher," as his crimes in Plainfield, Wisconsin were particularly horrific. He was a grave robber who had a fascination for corpses, using various body parts to make different items to use around the house. That includes crafting a body suit made of human skin, which would serve as the inspiration for the Leatherface character in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Gein also murdered at least two women, one in 1954 and another in 1957. At trial, he was found to be legally insane and was placed in a mental health facility until he died in 1984.
The crimes of Ed Gein have had a big impact on pop culture, and especially so with horror movies. His obsession with his late mother inspired the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho, which in turn greatly influenced the future of the genre. The way he inspired Leatherface also had the makers of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre promoting that film as based on a true story. He's also said to have inspired the serial killer Buffalo Bill in the Oscar-winning film The Silence of the Lambs.
There have also been feature films made about Gein himself with different actors playing the notorious murderer. That includes 2000's Ed Gein with Steve Railsback, 2007's Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield with Kane Hodder, and 2010's Ed Gein, the Musical with Dan Davies.
Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein premieres on MGM+ in September.